She looks better, Jayden thought and wondered if that was because (Ding dong the monsters dead) their father was dead and her obligations sealed or if she was genuinely doing better. Of course it could also be a calculated ploy.

"Rebecca." He said as she entered the apartment. Her eyes widened as they drifted over the large shared room and finally settled on Jayden, then they narrowed slightly.

"Norman." She sighed. She was holding a battered file box, Madison took it from her and held it carefully.

"I uhm. I'm sorry I'm late." She said halfheartedly.

"It's fine, our plans for the day ran late." Ethan said glancing at Jayden.

"Becca…how much did you see?" Jayden asked as she started to shrug her coat off. She froze and stared at him blankly.

"I have some idea of what she did." He said calmly.

They heard a loud thump and a muttered statement from Shaun's room. Ethan glanced at Madison who nodded and he left to check on Shaun.

"Shaun?" Ethan said gently as he opened his son's door.

Shaun was sitting on the floor with a book in his hands blushing red and ignoring his father.

"Shaun, what did you hear?"

"Is Norman leaving?" He asked tossing the book aside and pulling his knees to his chest, he rested his cheek on his kneecaps and looked up at his father with bright moist eyes.

"What makes you ask that?" Ethan asked and sat next to the boy slinging an arm loosely around his shoulders.

"He's not happy and you've all been so serious."

"As far as I know Shaun he isn't going anywhere."

"Then what's going on?" Shaun asked almost angrily.

Ethan hesitated. Shaun wasn't exactly an innocent but he desperately wanted the boy to retain what innocence he had left.

"Dad, is it…Shelby?" The child asked quaveringly. Ethan snatched him into a bear hug and the boy began to cry softly. Ethan held his boy and soothed him.

"No Shaun, he's dead, he can never hurt us again. Norman…it's complicated but I don't think he'll leave Shaun he likes it here."

"But he's been so weird lately –"

"I know Shaun, I'm sorry. When you're older you can ask him about it okay?"

"Will he tell me?"

"I don't know, I think he will."

"Why can't anything be simple?" The boy asked wiping at his eyes.

Rebecca slowly sat at one of the low couches not noticing when Madison took her coat and hung it up. Rebecca folded her hands and pinned them between her knees, hunched forward slightly and looked into the sightless middle distance before her.

Jayden recognized the pose, it was how she would sit while their father raged at him. "Just flashes. I was pretty small and…I didn't…don't want to remember."

"Madison, the report?" He asked tightly not trusting himself to speak further. She handed the paperwork, scant as it was, to Rebecca.

Rebecca Jayden read it slowly, methodically. Norman wondered if she had ever read something so thoroughly before or maybe she just wasn't used to reading anymore. No, that was cruel, she had been an avid reader as a child.

An eternity later she set the documents down.

"Have you read this Normie?" Her voice seemed small and thin, somehow disconnected from her.

"No."

"Good, don't. What I remember…it doesn't conflict with this but I can't confirm most of it." She sighed and pressed the palms of her hands against her temples as though staving off a headache.

Jayden let a moment pass then asked, "You said there was paperwork?"

"It's in the box, you don't have to sign it now. The address of the lawyer is in there too. There's no real property it's mostly a formality."

"Will there be a service?" Madison asked gently while watching Norman. He was still sitting at the kitchen island, apparently disinterested in his sister but his body language spoke volumes. He was hunched over but his legs were clear of the island and poised to run, his torso was twisted to face the door and he was white knuckling the empty coffee mug again.

"No. He…there wasn't any reason to." Rebecca sighed and stood.

"Rebecca… Becca. Thank you." Jayden said stiffly and got to his feet.

"You don't have any reason to trust me or even like me Norman. You're right about me in a lot of ways that I'm ashamed to admit. But… as your sister, please don't read those journals. She was a sick woman and she's dead now."

"Thank you." He said hoarsely. Madison carefully extricated herself and went to her bedroom.

She sat on the bed and set the box on the floor in front of her. As a journalist she had a duty to find out the truth and report it. But to what end in this case? Was Rebecca right in that Norman couldn't handle the journals? Or was it one more low blow from a spiteful user hell bent on wounding everyone in reach? Ultimately what the hell did it matter anyway? She had given Norman veto power over the interview and it looked like the book was going to be his story so without his say-so there would be no book.

Which meant what exactly? She would do the research, write the book, and then put it in a trunk? Her editor and fans were expecting another blistering true crime thriller in 18 months…

She shook her head and stood up.

"Come on Madison think with your real heart and not your ego, this is Norman." She hissed at herself.

So, what now?

"Write the book, let Norman decide." She said firmly and knelt to open the box, Norman would need the paperwork at least.

Inside lay three leather books. They seemed to be old. The pages were unevenly cut and loosely bound as though done in a hurry or on the cheap. She ignored them and retrieved the crisp new manila folder from the top and put the lid back on.

Norman watched Rebecca go and didn't move. He heard the low rise and fall of Ethan's voice accompanied by Shaun's lighter voice, unintelligible and fundamentally comforting. Did any of it change him? His life? So now he knew why he had visible scars. So?

But it did matter, it did change things, it had to. He thought about the grandfather that had given enough of a damn to cover up his son's actions but not enough to pull his grandchildren out of his drunken reach. He wondered if the old bastard had visited him in the hospital. Had he even gone to a hospital?

The new information had done nothing to sort out the jumble of shattered memories. Just as well he supposed. He sat there thinking and remembering until he managed to work his hand free from the coffee mug. Then he refilled it with scotch and stood in front of one of the windows that let light into the room.

He thought about the good things in his life. About what he had accomplished in his time with the FBI, saving the Mars men and Madison. Even failing to save Shelby… in a way. Had it been enough? He felt as though somewhere out in the universe lay a pair of scales and for some reason he couldn't discern they were weighted against him. Even now.

Had grown heavier with his triptocaine use, his fearful hostility toward anyone who came into his life and threatened to be more than a colleague, his obstinate self-reliance…

He drank the liquor without tasting it or slowing down. He set the empty mug on the countertop and went for his coat. Everyone needs a day off.

Ethan heard the door shut and frowned. He had put Shaun to bed early, the boy was past the age where such was necessary but he had endured a long emotional weekend with his mother and his worries about Norman had taken a toll. He kissed the sleeping boy's forehead and quietly left.

Jayden was gone, Ethan retrieved the mug from the counter caught the faint whiff of liquor and frowned. Since getting clean he had sampled alcohol sparingly and with great care.

"Ethan?" Madison said softly leaving their room.

"Shaun's asleep, Norman?"

"He went out." Ethan sighed. "I should go after him if he's been drinking –"

"Ethan we need to talk, it can't wait, not if you're going to follow him."

"Why?"

"Because it's about him."

"Madison if you're going to say he's not safe –"

"No, I'm not. Just…we need to talk okay? Look Norman took his cell with him, you can give him a call or even track him with that. He agreed to GPS monitoring in case we needed him on short notice right?"

Ethan nodded reluctantly, it had been an aspect of the contract he hated but Norman had insisted on.

"Okay then." She said with a sigh and took his hand, lead him into their room and sat on their bed. He frowned at her then sat next to her and took her other hand.

"Hey, what is it?" He asked gently.

"I think… I think he has feelings for you Ethan."

"Of course he does he saved my life –"

"Romantic feelings Ethan."

"What?" Ethan asked reflexively though he immediately thought about his heightened awareness of Norman from earlier.

"Go after him Ethan but be aware okay? I love you if…you reciprocate his feelings we can make this work. It won't be easy but…"

"You're amazing." He whispered and pulled her close, kissed her hard.

She broke the embrace first, skin flushed, eyes bright wanting nothing more than to finish things properly. Instead she placed an affectionate peck on his cheek and whispered, "Bring him back home I'll be here for Shaun." She pulled away rose and pulled him to his feet.

"Ethan I love you and I trust you this will be harder than you think but..." She trailed off. Ethan kissed her again hard and hungry then his eyes lingered on her, appreciating her wisdom and confidence in him, in them, her compassion and love for Jayden, he left.

"Jayden, it's Ethan, call me back we need to talk okay?" He spat into the phone suddenly desperately worried for Jayden as the elevator seemed to crawl to the ground floor. He was rocking on his heels and chewing his lip by the time the doors opened. It hadn't been that long, only a few minutes really and if Jayden had been drinking before he left he wouldn't be moving very quickly, maybe if he was lucky – the doors opened and he bolted out cell phone still in hand.

He thought he saw Jayden down the block. That familiar stiff stride, so emotional and so uncomfortable with emotion, that was Jayden, a profiler by nature because it was easier to analyze than indulge, safer. Ethan cursed himself for missing Jayden's feelings, for being so blind and consumed with his life.

He started to jog.